Spa Products’ Limitless Future

By: Karen A. Newman

Sun Deep Cosmetics sees a very different picture than it did 10 or even five years ago, considering the spa industry’s rapid growth over the past few years. According to Sundeep Gill, a pharmacist and Sun Deep Cosmetic’s vice president of research and development, spas were still coming into their own 10 years ago, and were ordering just the basics such as lotions and moisturizers. That started to change five years ago, and the company recognized a trend forming. “Spas were trying to balance cosmetics with technology, which helps create noticeable changes,” said Gill. “At the time, technology had yet to catch up to imagination.” Now, he said, his company offers a virtual arsenal of novel, innovative products that deliver noticeable effects for users on many different levels. The company’s broad product mix includes enzyme exfoliation masks, calming masks, sugar/salt scrubs, blending bases, moisture masks, collagen creams, eye circle gels and much more.

Busiek has watched much the same progression. Ten years ago, CBI was manufacturing basic bath and body formulations with natural plant oils and vegetable-based emollients. Over the years, the company has expanded into more aromatherapeutic-based products, as well as body exfoliation products using natural oils and scrubbing agents such as turbinado sugar and Dead Sea salts.

At McKenna Labs, the ingredients used to formulate products comprise the one major difference found in product production today. Another change is the addition of more cosmetic body products to accompany the skin care products they produce. Body products include sugar and salt scrubs, hand and body lotions, and fragrances. Men’s and teen spa lines are another new product mix, said Singer, giving weight to the findings in the ISPA report.

Where do the ideas for all the new products originate? As in many industries today, contract manufacturers in the cosmetic industry are staying ahead of their competition by developing new products and concepts that they can push out to the marketplace. So, what do you do when novel technologies cross your path? Gill turns them into products to intrigue his customers. “As a licensed and practicing pharmacist, I receive an in-the-trenches view of what people are expecting out of the cosmetic industry through the questions I am asked. This gives Sun Deep Cosmetics a needed edge to tackle an ever-changing market,” said Gill.

While CBI relies on customer requests and suggestions for new product ideas, it, too, finds inspiration in new technologies. The majority of its spa body product innovations come from sourcing novel ingredients from various countries around the world.